COLORADO – If you live in Colorado and own a car, there’s a chance you’ve had the opportunity to grab a ‘Keep Colorado Wild Pass’. This $29 pass gives you access to all Colorado state parks, appearing as a Colorado Parks and Wildlife logo on your registration. When you approach a park, you show the gate attendant your registration, and they let you through without charging any fee. So is it worth it?
If you live in the Denver area, Chatfield State Park and the Cherry Creek Resevoir are great place to go to go for an outdoor swim. Or, if you’re looking for a neat nearby hike, Eldorado Canyon isn’t too far and it’s pretty neat, or Castlewood Canyon provides a cool plain-vibe hike with some fascinating history. All of these parks, and so many more throughout the state, charge a daily vehicle fee of around $10. If you plan on visiting these locations three or more times throughout the year, get a ‘Keep Colorado Wild Pass’ on your registration.
The money isn’t just going straight into someone’s pocket, either. With a goal of generating $36 million annually, the first $32.5 million generated from the pass goes towards state park maintenance and development, the next $2.5 million will go toward search and rescue teams, and the last $1 million goes to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
So is it worth it? Probably, yes. There are so many incredible parks throughout this state that you get access to with this pass, and it’s going to several worthwhile causes. If you know you’re never going to head to a state park, then maybe opt out, but otherwise, even if you don’t go more than three times, it could be worth it just for the convenience.